Body roller



w. F. SPAHR Oct. 23, 1945.

BODY ROLLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 12, 1943 mum N w. F. SPAHR BODY ROLLER Filed March 12, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 23, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BODY ROLLER William F. Spahr, New Orleans, La.

Application March 12, 1943, Serial No. 478,924

Claims.

This invention relates to sheet metal bending or forming machines of the three-roll type designed to shape a metal sheet into cylindrical or substantially cylindrical form, as for example, the formation of the annular body of a metal drum or barrel.

Machines for bending or rolling cylindrical bodies of the type with which the present invention is concerned have heretofore been more or less difficult to operate as well as unwieldy and awkward to adjust in order to vary the arc of curvature of the bent sheet. Since the sheets ofttimes have a finished and polished surface and bear printed or lithographed descriptive matter, it is important that there be no relative'slippage between the rolls and sheets, necessitating a, positive drive connection which in turn brings in a problem of roll adjustment. Also, as the relatively rigid sheets curl upwardly around the upper feed roll, they become diflicult to remove or discharge from the machine without interfering with operations at the front or feed end of the machine; and while devices such as contact plates and aprons havebeen proposed to avoid this difliculty, they have never, as far as known, been found practical.

Anobject of the present invention is to provide a sheet metalbending or rolling machine of the positively-driven threa-roll type, wherein the third or bending r011 may be readily adjusted with respectto the roll pass to obtain the desired arc of curvatureof the sheet.

Another object is to provide a machine of the type specified wherein the sheets may be formed with the desired arc of curvature, and after formation, discharged from the rear of the machine without necessitating manual handling and without interfering with the normal operation of the machine.

Another object is to provide a body rolling or bendingmachine of the three-roll type wherein therolls may be connected for a positive synch'ronousdrive with the third roll adjustable without involving complicated parts such as movably mounted gears, gear trains and like units.

' A further object is to generally improve and simplify body rolling or bending machines.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages will become apparent in view of the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in end elevation of a machine in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2, a section taken substantially on the line 2--2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3, a view in front elevation of the machine.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the main supporting frame of the machine is generally indicated at l0, said frame being :of skeleton construction and having mounted thereon and housings II, I I, adapted to support rolls I2, I3 and I4, the spindles I2, 13 and I4 of said rollers being mounted in bearings I5. The rolls I2 and I3 constitute feed rolls and define a pass through which the sheet is fed, while the roll I4 "constitutes a bending roll. Means are provided'whereby the upper feed roll I2 may be adjusted with respect to the lower roll to obtain the desired spacing and pressure in accordance with the gage of the sheet being handled, and whereby also the third or bending roll I4 may be adjusted with respect to the roll pass 'to obtain the desired arc of curvature of the bent sheet. Accordingly, the end housings II, 'I I are formed with slots or guideways I6 and I! in which are mounted'bearing blocks I8 and 19, said blocks supporting the bearings l5 for the roll spindles. Adjusting screws 20 'andZI are threaded through the end housings and are connected at their inner ends to the blocks I8 and I9, res 'eetively; and by adjusting these screws, the desired roll setting may be obtained. I a

. The drive connections .for the respective rolls are provided in the following manner:'.

The right hand endsor spindles of the rolls I3 and M (as viewed in Fig. 3) are'provided with sprocketgears 22 and 23 which are connected by a fiexibledrive member such as sprocket chain 24. The lower feed roll I3 constitutes the main drive roll, so that motion is transmitted from this roll to the third roll I 4 by the said sprocket chain. The left hand ends orspindles of the feed rolls I2 and I3 are provided with intermeshing pinions 25 and 26, whereby the drive is transmitted from the lower feed .roll I3 to the upper feed roll l2. The gears 25 and 26 always remain in mesh, since the range of adjustment betweenthese rolls need be only slight. The third roll I4 is adjustable toward and from the roll pass, to vary the diameter of the body being rolled or formed, and the range of adjustment in this instance should therefore be much greater than that of the feed rolls, hence the flexible drive connection between rolls I3 and I4. Adjustment of roll I4 toward the roll pass closes or reduces the diameter of the body being rolled, and retraction or adjustment from said pass enlarges or increases such diameter; It will be noted that the guideway ll for bear-- ing block l9 causes the roll M to move in a substantially straight line toward and from the roll pass, such line of adjustment extending at an angle with respect to the pass and at a tangent with respect to roll l3. The sprocket chain 24 may be given a reasonable amount of slack to provide a full range of bending roll adjustment.

The lower or main drive roll l3 may be driven in any suitable manner, as for instance by motor 21 connected by means of V-belts 28 to pulley 29 mounted on a drive shaft 3!], the latter being provided with a pinion 3| in mesh with a gear 32 secured on the spindle of feed roll l3.

In order that the sheets may be discharged from the rear of the machine without interferring with the normal feed at the front thereof and without requiring open-ended feed rolls, a combined deflector and discharge plate 33 is mounted at a predetermined distance above and at an angle with respect to the upper roll l2 by means of a cross member 34 which is projected through slotted openings 35 formed in the end housings, and adjustably secured by means of nuts 36. By loosening the nuts 36, the cross member 34' may be rotated to thereby adjust the'angle of the plate 33, and at the same time the cross member may be raised andlowered or adjusted VQltl-n cally in the slots 35. The function of plate 33' will be more fully set forth in the following description of operation.

Entrance guides 31 and 38 are securedto the housings I l and l I, note Fig. 3, and define therebetween a guide slot 39 for feeding sheets to the machine.

The machine operates as follows:

The sheets are fed through the pass between the upper and lower feed rolls l2 and I3 andare contacted by the third or bendin roll I and bent in an are as indicated in Fig. 2. By adjusting the roll M with respect to the roll pass, the arc of curvature of the sheet may be readily determined to thereby control the diameter of the formed body, and by adjusting'the upper roll I2 with respect to the lower roll IS, the desired frictional contact between the said rollers and the sheet may be obtained. As the sheet advances and curls, its leading edge contacts the deflector plate 33' and is caused to turn inwardly and slidedown-' wardly on said plate. When the rear edge of the. sheet passes clear of the feed rolls l2 and [3, the body is freed and rolls downwardly on the plate 33 and is discharged from the rear end of the machine ready for welding and other operations by means of which it is to be fabricated into a'drum or other article. Thus the formed body never curls around the upper or lower feed rolls, nor does it even come close enough to the front of the machin to interfere with feeding Or other operations in this region. Since all three rolls are'connected for positive rotation in synchronism, there is no relative slippage between the rolls and sheets, avoiding any damage to polished or printed surfaces.

No attempt has been made herein to set forth all of the advantages of the improved bending machine, and it will also be obvious that certain changes in construction and design 1 may be adopted without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for rolling or bending metal sheets into cylindrical or substantially cylindrical form comprising a main supporting frame,

bearings supported by said frame, means for adjusting said rolls with respect to one another to vary the tension or pressure on the sheets fed therebetween, a third roll disposed beyond the feed rolls, a flexible drive connection transmitting th drive from one of said feed rolls to said third roll, means for adjusting said third roll toward and from the roll pass to thereby vary the degree of curvature imparted to the sheet, a deflector plate disposed at an incline above said feed rolls and adapted to be'engaged by the leading edge of each sheet and cause the curled sheet to ride thereon until released from said feed rolls whereupon it rolls downwardly on said plate and is discharged to the rear of the machine, and means for driving said feed rolls.

2. In a machine for bending metal sheets into cylindrical or substantially cylindrica1 form, a pair of feed rolls defining therebetween a roll pass through which the sheets are fed, a third roll disposed beyond said first-named rolls and located with respect to said pass in a manner such as to cause the sheets to be'curled upwardly and rearwardly, a deflector plate disposed above said first-named rolls and arranged at an incline towards the rear of the machine to be contacted by the leading edge of each sheet and cause the curled sheet to spring upwardly on the deflector plate and then roll or be discharged therefrom towards the rear of the machine, and means for adjusting the position of said plate with respect to the roll pass.

3. In a, machine for shaping sheet metal into cylindrical or substantially cylindrical form; a

pair of upper and lower feed rolls defining there between a roll pass, a third roll disposed beyond said pass and adjustable with respect to the latter to cause the sheets to be bent upwardly and rearwardly around the upper roll, a deflector plate disposed above and in spaced relation to said upper roll and arranged at an incline towards the rearof the .machine, the spacing and inclination being such as to cause the leading edge of the sheet to contact the deflector plate and ride thereon until freed from the feed rolls whereupon the bent sheet rolls down the incline andis discharged from the rear of the machine without interferring with operations at the'front of the machine, and means for adjusting the said plate both as to its angle of inclination and its vertical position with respect to the roll pass- 4. In a machine for bending metal sheets into cylindrical or substantially cylindrical form, a pair of upper and lower rolls defining therebetweena roll pass, a-third roll disposed beyond said pass to contact the sheet and cause the latter to be curled upwardly around said upper roll, a deflector plate disposedabove the upper roll at an incline towards the rear of the machine and 7 adapted to be contacted by the leading edge of each sheet and cause the curled sheet to be discharged from the rear of the machine, and meansfor adjusting the inclination of said plate;

5. In a machine for shaping sheet metal into cylindrical or substantially cylindrical form, a pair of substantially vertically aligned feed rolls defining therebetween a roll pass, athird roll. disposedjbeyond said pass and adjustable 'with respect to the latter, said third roll causing the sheet to be bent arcuately thereby throwingthe. leading edge of the sheet upwardly and rearward-' ly around the upper roll, and a deflecting mem ber mounted above said upper roll to be engaged by said leading edge, saidmember being disposed at a rearward incline and whereby the curled sheet is caused to ride on said member until freed from the feed rolls and to be discharged from the rear of the machine without interferring with operations at the front of the machine.

6. In a machine for bending metal sheets into cylindrical or substantially cylindrical form, a pair of rolls disposed one above the other and defining therebetween a roll pass, means for positively rotating said rolls, in synchronism, a third roll disposed beyond the roll pass and adapted to engage the sheet and bend it upwardly around 7 the upper roll, said rolls being provided with spindles at opposite ends thereof, bearings mounting said spindle, intermeshing pinions secured on the spindles at one end of said upper and lower rolls providing a positive drive connection therebetween, sprocket gears secured on the spindles at the opposite ends of the lower roll and said third roll, a sprocket chain trained over said sprocket gears providing a flexible drive connection between the third roll and said lower roll, and means for adjusting said third roll toward and from the roll pass on a line extending at an angle to said pass and on a tangent to the lower feed roll.

7. In a machine for forming cylindrical or substantially cylindrical sheet metal bodies, a pair of feed rolls defining therebetween a roll pass through which the sheets are adapted to be fed, a third roll located beyond the pass and adapted to contact the sheets and cause the latter to be .bent arcuately as they are advanced through said pass by the feed rolls, said rolls being provided with spindles, end housings into which said spindles project, adjusting blocks slidably mounted in said housings and supporting said spindles, the adjusting blocks for said third roll being mounted for movement at an angle toward the roll pass, and means'connecting said rolls for positive rotation in synchronism including a flexible drive means for adjusting said third roll toward and from the roll pass on a line extending at an angle to said pass and on a tangent to the lower feed roll to thereby vary the degree of curvature imparted to the sheet, a deflector plate disposed at an incline above said feed roll and adapted to be engaged by the leading edge of each sheet and cause the curled sheet to ride thereon until released from said feed roll whereupon it rolls downwardly on said plate and is discharged to the rear of the machine, and means for positive driving said feed rolls in synchronism.

9. A machine for curling or imparting a curvature to a sheet comprising a supporting frame, a pair of feed rollgmounted one above the other on said frame, means for adjusting said rolls with respect to one another to vary the tension or pressure on the sheet fed therebetween, a third roll disposed rearwardly beyond the feed rolls, a flexible drive connection transmitting a drive from one of said feed rolls to said third roll, means for adjusting said third roll toward and from the roll pass to thereby vary the degree of curvature imparted to the sheet, a deflector plate disposed at an incline above said feed rolls, with its lower rearmost edge disposed rearwardly of said rolls and having a, substantially flat upper surface,

vertically adjustable means between the center member connecting one of said feed rolls with said third roll.

8. A machine for rolling or bending metal sheets into cylindrical or substantially cylindrical form comprising a main supporting frame, a pair of feed rolls arranged in substantially vertical alignment and having spindles mounted in bearings supported by said frame, means for adjusting said rolls with respect to one another to vary the tension or pressure on the sheets fed therebetween, a third r011 disposed beyond and in spaced relation with respect to the feed rolls, a flexible positive drive connection transmitting the drive from the lower of said feed rolls to said third roll,

and top edge of said deflector plate for pivotally mounting the same, the substantially flat surface of said deflector plate being adapted to be engaged by the leading edge of the sheet and cause the curled sheet to ride thereon until released from said feed rolls whereupon due to the downward inclination of the substantially flat surface of said plate the curled sheet will roll downwardly on said plate and be discharged by gravity clear of the machine at the rear of the same, and means for driving said 'feed rolls,

10. A machine for curling sheets comprising in combination cooperating upper and lower feed rolls, a third roll mounted behind said feed rolls in operative association therewith to engage and curl the sheet, a deflector plate overlying said rolls and having a relatively flat upper surface, said deflector plate being rotatably and vertically pivoted and being adapted to be disposed with its flat surface inclined rearwardly and downwardly in a position to be engaged by the leading edge of a sheet and cause the curled sheet to ride thereon until released from said feed rolls whereupon it will roll downwardly by gravity due to the inclination of said plate and be discharged by gravity clear of the machine at the rear of the same.

WILLIAM F. SPAHR. 

